'Rick from Empire Glass' murdered
Gyumaoh
http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/ktvbn-august10-rickfromempireglass.7a05
b7dc.html
08/10/2002
KTVK-TV Phoenix
There were some new developments Sunday in the investigation of the murder of
prominent Valley businessman Rick Chance.
WATCH STORY
Police have released a surveillance photo of Chance with an unidentified woman
taken at a Best Western hotel in Tempe. Investigators say Chance checked into
the hotel with the woman Thursday at 9:30 p.m.
Officers describe the woman as Asian, about 20 to 25 years old, five-feet,
three inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds.
Chance, owner and spokesman for the Phoenix-based Empire Glass windshield
replacement company, was found dead in a room at the hotel Friday afternoon.
According to police, a housekeeper found his body when she went in to clean the
room.
Chance, 44, was allegedly scheduled to meet with his lawyer, Randy Yavitz,
earlier in the day and failed to show, said Lt. Ron Warner of the Paradise
Valley Police Department.
Yavitz said Chance told several people he was going to meet a woman he met at
Matchmaker.com for a business dinner. Chance was a jewelry broker on the side
and the woman said one of her male friends was interested making a purchase.
("24 Free Dinners!" Rick Chance was familiarly known as the TV spokesperson
for Empire Glass.)
Chance's housekeeper saw him leave his Paradise Valley home with a briefcase
filled with more than $1 million in jewelry.
He allegedly planned to meet the woman and her friend at Starbucks Coffee near
Scottsdale Road and MacDonald sometime Thursday night, but his car was later
discovered at the Best Western in Tempe.
Warner said they immediately expected foul play because of the large amount of
jewelry Chance had on him at the time of his disappearance.
Police are still searching for the briefcase as well as the man interested in
purchasing the jewelry.
Also Online
Empire Glass
http://www.empireglassinc.com/
Chance was married to former Mrs. Arizona and Mrs. America Jill Scott in 1996,
but they divorced two years later when he accused his bride of stealing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Tempe police or Silent Witness.
Lead followed in hotel killing
Woman met glass pitchman on Net
By Lindsey Collom and Anne Ryman
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 11, 2002 12:00:00
Rick Chance was known for his flashy jewelry, religious faith and trusting
nature. It was that trust, friends say, that may have led to the death of the
multimillionaire and Empire Glass pitchman.
"Rick . . . lived a life that was larger than life," longtime friend and
attorney Randy Yavitz said. "He didn't seem to pay much attention all the time
to danger and details like that. He had such an overriding faith in God that
maybe he felt he was invulnerable."
Tempe police on Saturday questioned a Chandler woman who had met Chance over
the Internet and arranged to meet with him Thursday night so a friend could
check out Chance's jewelry designs. Police said the woman is not a suspect.
Chance, former owner of Empire Glass Cos. and star of its television and radio
commercials, was found dead Friday at the Best Western Hotel on Rural Road and
Loop 202 in Tempe. Missing was a briefcase believed to be filled with more than
$1 million worth of jewelry. His housekeeper saw him holding the briefcase
Thursday night when he left his Paradise Valley home.
Police said little Saturday about progress on the investigation. They would not
say whether they had found the woman's friend. The Maricopa County Medical
Examiner's Office said Saturday night that Chance had been shot in the throat.
"We have been doing interviews," Tempe Officer Jeff Lane said. "We don't have
any suspects or anybody in custody."
Chance has two children, Stephanie, 15, and Chad, 13. They have gone to stay
with their mother in Colorado. The couple is divorced.
Yavitz last spoke to Chance on Thursday afternoon when Chance called to tell
him he was meeting with a woman he had met through an Internet dating service.
Yavitz said it wasn't unusual for the 44-year-old divorcé to look for dates on
the Internet. He had personal ads on match.com and matchmaker.com.
Chance, who was also an ordained minister, had almost a complete disregard for
danger, Yavitz said. Friends would often tell him he should tone down his
jewelry for his own safety.
"Rick was a very creative guy and created a lot of jewelry. He was very proud
of his jewelry and loved to show it off," Yavitz said.
In 1993, Chance was drugged by a woman who stole his Mercedes and $71,000 in
jewelry, according his second ex-wife, Jill Chance, who lives in California.
But the incident didn't seem to make him wary of people, she said.
"It's not stupidity with Rick, but based on his religious beliefs. He believed
he had a special protection and was untouchable," Jill Chance said.
Rick Chance was best known as the smiling pitchman for Empire Glass ads that
ran in heavy rotation on local television stations.
He built the windshield repair and replacement company by marketing it directly
to customers. He sweetened the deal by throwing in free dinners or partial
payment of customers' insurance deductibles.
Chance lived in a Paradise Valley neighborhood that was posh even by that
town's standards. His $1.6 million brown and red brick home sprawls over 10,000
square feet.
It's a place where mansions with outside waterfalls and luxury autos are
commonplace. Living nearby are Phoenix Sun Penny Hardaway and businessman
Pierre Falcone, who achieved notoriety when he was jailed in an arms
trafficking scandal.
It's the kind of neighborhood where everyone keeps to himself, and residents
don't go across the street to borrow a cup of sugar, one neighbor said.
"People are kind of private out here," said a neighbor would only give a first
name of Edie. "We don't socialize very much."
As Chance's professional life flourished, his personal life floundered. He went
through a messy divorce in 1998 from his second wife, Jill, a former Mrs.
Arizona and Mrs. America.
The couple argued over luxury cars, jewels and a limousine, according to court
documents. She ended up with the jewelry, $250,000 and $8,333 a month for four
years.
Jill claimed her ex-husband forbade her to go anywhere fun because it was
sinful. She claimed he ordered her to read Scripture for hours and wanted her
to lie prostrate and hold onto his ankles to demonstrate her subservience.
Rick denied her accusations when he was interviewed in 1999 by The Arizona
Republic. "She's just a gold digger, period," he said.
On Saturday, Jill had only good things to say about her ex-husband.
"We had difficult times," she said by telephone from her home Saturday night.
"But his death is a tragic thing."
Justin Juozapavicius and Kathy Shayna Shocket contributed to this article.
Ed Varner
>And his commercials are still airing!!
I believe the local stations here have pulled his commercials.
>KTVK-TV Phoenix
>
>
>There were some new developments Sunday in the investigation of the murder of
>prominent Valley businessman Rick Chance.
>
> WATCH STORY
>
>Police have released a surveillance photo of Chance with an unidentified
>woman
>taken at a Best Western hotel in Tempe. Investigators say Chance checked into
>the hotel with the woman Thursday at 9:30 p.m.
>
>
> Officers describe the woman as Asian, about 20 to 25 years old, five-feet,
>three inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds.
>
They just had "breaking news" on the 10 PM local news that this woman along
with a male suspect have been arrested in Tacoma, WA and that Tempe, AZ police
are on the way to Washington State.
ED
Gyumaoh
Murder charges await stripper
Arizona seeks extradition in millionaire's death
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
By DAVID EGGERT
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
TACOMA -- The case of a stripper, a well-known auto glass pitchman, $1 million
worth of jewelry and a slaying in an Arizona hotel room played out in a Tacoma
courtroom yesterday.
Brandi Lynn Hungerford, accused of killing Empire Glass founder Rick Chance in
Tempe, Ariz., appeared in court and was given up to 30 days to decide whether
to fight extradition to Arizona, where she has been charged with first-degree
murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.
In Tacoma, the 25-year-old topless dancer pleaded not guilty to a charge of
being a fugitive from justice. She was held without bail.
Hungerford is the focus of an investigation into the shooting death of Chance.
His body was found at a Best Western Hotel in Tempe on Aug. 9.
A briefcase of Chance's filled with more than $1 million worth of jewelry is
missing. Chance's housekeeper told police she saw him leave his mansion with
the briefcase the night of the slaying.
Chance, 44, was recognizable across five states -- including Washington -- as
the pitchman who offered free dinners to customers who bought windshields from
his windshield repair and replacement company.
Last week, Hungerford was identified as the woman standing next to Chance in a
surveillance photo as they checked into a Best Western Hotel in Tempe on Aug.
8.
She was arrested Friday in Tacoma, having apparently traveled here with Robert
Donald Lemke II, a male stripper who is in custody on unrelated firearms
charges.
Yesterday afternoon, Hungerford appeared briefly before Pierce County Superior
Court Judge Katherine Stolz. She did not speak and wore an orange jail
jumpsuit.
Hungerford's attorney, Ann Stenberg, said she would reserve all of her client's
rights.
"I think she is in shock," Stenberg said. "This all happened very quickly for
her. But she seems in relatively stable spirits."
As for whether Hungerford could agree voluntarily to be extradited, "we need to
investigate a little further and speak to Brandi at great length," she said.
Chance's death has dominated headlines in Phoenix, where he lived with two
children from his first marriage. Chance divorced twice and lived in the
upscale Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley.
Police say Hungerford lured Chance to a place where he could be robbed. They
also say she had an accomplice, though none had been named as of last night.
Police have not indicated who they think shot Chance.
Lemke remains a strong investigative lead, police said. He reportedly has been
uncooperative with police, refusing to answer questions about his whereabouts
the night of Aug. 8.
Chance has been remembered by friends and family as a religious man with a
trusting nature. He created his own jewelry and liked to show it off.
In 1993, he was drugged by a woman who stole his Mercedes and $71,000 in
jewelry.
He had personal ads on the Internet, wearing a stylish suit and listing his
salary at more than $250,000 a year.
The Arizona Republic reported Sunday that Hungerford knew Chance for more than
a year. He would often take her up to the private VIP room at Christie's
Cabaret and tip her lavishly, according to a friend of Hungerford's.
Hungerford's extradition hearing is scheduled for Sept. 17.
WarpTwelve
>
>-TGS
You need to get out a bit more, Bubba.
Yup ... unless you are splitting hairs (joke there, somewhere) that's pretty
much the same job description.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?"
The Kentucky Wizard
"WarpTwelve" <warpt...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020821065355...@mb-cm.aol.com...
I wouldn't consider a topless dancer to be a stripper. More like a gal who
likes to tease, but is probably too embarrassed to show it all. You know,
like a wife or something.
--
**************************
The Kentucky Wizard
**************************
吵o吩oo
> There were some new developments Sunday in the investigation of the
> murder of prominent Valley businessman Rick Chance.
This from The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) on Tuesday:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0817chance17.html
吵o吩oo
--
"You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do
something about its width and depth." - Evan Esar
吵o吩oo
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0821Chance21.html
§no§hoo wrote:
>> There were some new developments Sunday in the investigation of
the
>> murder of prominent Valley businessman Rick Chance.
>
> This from The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) on Tuesday:
>
> http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0817chance17.html
>
> §no§hoo
Bill Schenley
> like a gal who likes to tease, but is probably too
> embarrassed to show it all. You know, like a wife or
> something.
WHAT? You mean your wife has never "show[n] it
all" to you?
Man, you two need marriage counseling.
WarpTwelve
Bill --
I think he was making a joke. In fact, I'm sure he was making a joke.
Didn't the following old classic show up here a few weeks ago:
Question: How can you tell if your wife is dead?
Answer: The sex is the same but the dishes keep piling up.
Or that other old chestnut:
Question: How can you tell that sex is getting stale?
Answer: When, in the middle of making love, your wife blurts out "beige ... I
think the ceiling would look better in beige."
The Kentucky Wizard
"Bill Schenley" <stra...@erie.net> wrote in message
news:um7fnsr...@corp.supernews.com...
Sure she showed me *everything*, and I liked what I saw. That's why I
married her *lol*, well that and the fact I love her also.
The Kentucky Wizard
A friend of ours, a retired City Police Officer, now a County Deputy
Sheriff, told me about how he finally realized that his first marriage was
pretty much dead. He was trying his best the "please" his wife one night,
and as he was in the middle of his "pleasing", she let out one of those big
ole yawns, which made him feel *real* good about it. The next time he tried
it, he caught her biting her fingernails. It kind of goes without saying
that they never "hooked up" again, and were divorced shortly thereafter.
brigidnelson
>
> Didn't the following old classic show up here a few weeks ago:
>
> Question: How can you tell if your wife is dead?
>
> Answer: The sex is the same but the dishes keep piling up.
>
> Or that other old chestnut:
>
> Question: How can you tell that sex is getting stale?
>
> Answer: When, in the middle of making love, your wife blurts out "beige ... I
> think the ceiling would look better in beige."
Oooh, oooh, I know one!
This guy comes home from work one day to find his wife packing all of
her best clothes into a suitcase.
He asks "what are you doing?"
She says "I'm going to Las Vegas."
"Why", he querries, "are you going to Las Vegas?"
"Because, I've heard that in Las Vegas I can get $100. for doing what I
do for you for free".
"I see", says the husband as he pulls a suitcase from the closet and
begins to fill it with *his* clothes.
"What are *you* doing?" asks the wife
"I'm going with you, I want to see how you live on $100. a year."
Please remember to tip the waitress,
brigid
Hyfler/Rosner
> This guy comes home from work one day to find his wife packing all of
> her best clothes into a suitcase.
>
> He asks "what are you doing?"
> She says "I'm going to Las Vegas."
> "Why", he querries, "are you going to Las Vegas?"
> "Because, I've heard that in Las Vegas I can get $100. for doing what I
> do for you for free".
> "I see", says the husband as he pulls a suitcase from the closet and
> begins to fill it with *his* clothes.
>
> "What are *you* doing?" asks the wife
> "I'm going with you, I want to see how you live on $100. a year."
>
> Please remember to tip the waitress,
> brigid
>
I love the fact that when my dentist told me this joke, he made it $200 a
year. A nice fellow, my dentist.
brigidnelson
I heard it from a girl. Perhaps we think that men think less of us than
they actually do. Or maybe it's a cost of living raise.
brigid
WarpTwelve
>they actually do. Or maybe it's a cost of living raise.
Nawwww ...
If you want to ruin a good friendship ... and have your love life go downhill
fast ... then just marry your best friend ;)
{ducking and running for cover ... }
吵o吩oo
>> I heard it from a girl. Perhaps we think that men think less of
us
>> than they actually do. Or maybe it's a cost of living raise.
>
> Nawwww ...
>
> If you want to ruin a good friendship ... and have your love life
go
> downhill fast ... then just marry your best friend ;)
hmmm...and I heard the best way to have a great and long-lasting
marriage is to marry your best friend.
> {ducking and running for cover ... }
I can't run and don't have a gun...:)
--
吵o吩oo